The Wemstroms: Examine Scott Reeder's fantasy world

Monday

Dec 23, 2013 at 1:00 PM

By Pat and Chuck WemstromFor The Journal-Standard

Pundits and those in the know proclaim that the problem in America is that people won't compromise. Others, like Scott Reeder (J-S, Dec. 12), proclaim that there is too much compromise and that Americans should be willing to stand up, even die, for their beliefs.

We believe that a bigger problem is that too many folks like Mr. Reeder live in a fantasy world. America continues to have the same arguments and our country continues to make the same mistakes because too many Americans believe in nursery rhymes.

Scott starts by quoting from the Battle Hymn of the Republic. He writes, "Let us die to make men free." He gives examples from American history where he claims people stood up for their beliefs and fought and died for freedom. Those examples are nice bedtime stories, but when we believe them and are influenced by these mythical tales, we continue to compound our problems.

He starts by appealing to our sense of patriotism, "One can imagine young men in blue marching into battle singing that hymn. They were willing to give their lives for a cause bigger than themselves."

First, we have to remember that many were draftees, others paid substitutes to take their place and thousands rioted in New York City because they didn't want to go. Second, folks still debate who fought when and why and for what. Early on, the war was fought to "save the Union"; later, it was to "free the slaves." If the war was fought to free the slaves, it's interesting that after a dozen years or so the North was willing to trade the African Americans back into a form of peonage just slightly better than slavery. So much for bravery and sacrifice.

Next, Reeder discusses George Washington. "Imagine," he writes, "if George Washington had chosen to compromise rather than fight." Washington did fight for freedom - for himself and his white male friends, less than 15 percent of the population.

He lauds the men "who gave their lives at Hue and Iwo Jima." In Hue, Vietnam, the Americans, an imperial force, invaded a foreign country, double-crossing former allies to try to maintain the west's colonial presence in Southeast Asia.

In Iwo Jima, again American draftees were fighting not for freedom but to defend the Asian colonies of our European Allies: the Dutch, French, English and Portuguese. Actually, World War II in the Pacific was fought to maintain the imperial power of the U.S. and these countries.

We laughed when we read that he compared these famous battles, about which he knows so little, with the Illinois pension fight. He reminds us of Teddy in "Arsenic and Old Lace," who yelled, "Charge," and ran up the stairs. Reeder writes, "Some things, such as our children's futures, cannot be compromised. So I will not be silent."

Reeder should know better than most that the so-called pension crisis was caused by the Great Recession, globalization and both Democrats and Republicans, who for 40 years regularly skipped pension payments. He knows full well that it had nothing to do with unions. He also knows that the ultimate goal of his bosses, the Illinois Policy Institute, is not pension reform but the demise of government pensions.

Reeder also knows that a modest tax increase would begin over time to make up for the missed payments, but then his bosses who write his checks are against not only increased taxes, but most taxes. And finally, he should know his bloated numbers are bogus.

Or is Happydale in his future?

Chuck and Pat Wemstrom live in rural Mount Carroll. They can be reached at patandchuck@gmail.com.